Selected articles on tourism from " (r)

[brelief@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Selected Articles on Tourism from "new fronteirs"

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Selected articles from "new frontiers"

Monthly Briefing on Tourism, Development and Environment
Issues inthe Maekhong Subregion

March 1996

(contact address: TERRA, E: mail,
TERRAPER@xxxxxxxxxx)

PADAUNG PEOPLE'S TRADITION IN TURMOIL

(BP 13.2.96; TN: 3.3.96)

WHAT brings so many tourists to Baan Naisoi, Nam Phiang
Din and Huai Suea Thao, three settlements on the banks of the
Pai River in Mae Hong Son province?  The villages have
become home of the Padaung people, one tribe of the Karenni,
a branch of the Karen.  The tribe's original settlements were in
the fertile lowlands of the Salween River in Kayah State,
Burma.  But domestic turmoil drove the Padaung from their
homelands into Thailand during the 1980s.  The move brought
them into contact with the outside world -- and sealed their fate
as an exotic tourist attraction as some of the women
traditionally elongate their necks with bronze rings.

Most tourists are not particularly interested in the long
tradition and legends behind the wearing of metal rings. 
Rather, it is their odd appearance that attracts visitors'
attention.  In the opinion of many, the village is a human zoo
where people come to gawk at and photograph these long
necked creatures.  Thai authorities and tour companies have
been condemned for turning the Padaung villages into colonies
and exploiting the women for profit making.

About ten years ago, a Thai tour operator came into contact
with the Padaung tribe by chance and immediately realized
their commercial potential.  Then an agreement was reached to
have the tribe settled in Mae Hong Son in exchange for its
cooperation in allowing tourists to their villages.  The Thai
government allows them to reside there, but does not permit
them to own or cultivate land.

It looks as if it was quite a good deal because the Padaung are
relatively well off compared to other Thai and hilltribe villages
in the area.  But they hardly had another choice than to become
involved in tourism.

Alexandre, a Padaung tribal, who has been working as a tour
guide, said it was never their intention to settle down in
Thailand.  "We are trying to make as much money as possible. 
When the military government is overthrown and democracy is
restored, we will start our lives over in Burma," he said. 
"Living here is safer.  We don't have to run away and hide
behind bunkers.  We don't have to be afraid of bombs.  The
SLORC government is so brutal.  They force their own people
into labour.  Everyone suffers under them.  We still love our
homeland, but we love freedom and democracy more," he
added.

However, the life of the Padaung has changed drastically. 
Their villages have been promoted worldwide as tourist
destinations and the long - necked women have been made
symbols of Mae Hong Son province.  Each year, about 10,000
visitors, Thai and foreign, invade the area.  They are charged
US$10 per person to enter the village and take photographs. 
The tourists find the inhabitants very friendly and willing. 
Padaung women immediately stop their activities if they notice
a camera pointing in their direction, smile and keep the pose
until the picture is taken.

According to Padaung tradition only girls born on a
Wednesday of a full moon are destined to have their necks
fitted with metal rings at an age between five and nine years --
and these are naturally only a few.  But today, apparently all
young women have their necks extended to ensure that there
are enough long necks to satisfy tourists.  The Padaung have
also modified their tradition to allow mixed blood girls to be
initiated.  Consequently, the future of the tradition hangs in a
precarious balance.  Will the Padaung maintain the practice for
its legendary sacredness, or exploit their tribal values just to
perpetuate their tourist attractiveness for commercial gain?



BURMA

SOLDIERS OMNIPRESENT TO "HELP"

(BP- 6.2.96; 20.2.96; TN: 7.2.96)  - GUN-TOTING soldiers
patrol Heho airstrip in Shan State and roam markets in
Taunggyi and Kalaw. They also guard the Ministry of Hotels
and Tourism in Rangoon. Hotels and Tourism Minister Lt-Gen
Kyaw Ba announced that the pervasive militarist presence
would ensure  safety and security for the about 200,000
visitors expected during Visit Myanmar (Burma) Year 1996.

Due to inadequate infrastructure such as international flight
connections, hotel rooms, transport and service personnel, the
authorities have reduced the original target of 500,000 tourists
to a more realistic 200,000.  "Our target is 500,000 but
international airlines cannot meet that capacity," Kyaw Ba
said.

In tandem with efforts to increase the number of international
flights are expansion of airports and the opening up of more
destinations inside Burma that were previously off - limits such
as the states of Kachin and Kayah, as well as the Sino -
Burmese border region.  Travel to these areas still requires
package tour purchase and permits.  "Some tourists can
instigate trouble and spread misinformation in the areas.  We
have to maintain stability and security remains a key concern
to us," the minister said.  

Italian Embassy officials in Rangoon reported that recently, the
army stopped 12 Italian tourists in a northern hilltribe village
and sent them back to the capital. The travellers thought
permission for their tour had been obtained by their tour
operator. They said they were loaded on to an old, open-backed military truck in almost freezing temperatures and
driven to the city of Putao. During the journey' the truck nearly
fell off a bridge, they complained. An embassy spokesman said
he had not received a reply to his protest letter addressed to the
Burmese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of
Hotels and Tourism. He assumed the problem was lack of
communication between the central Burmese authorities and
those in Kachin State which opened up for tourism only in late
1995. Burma, he said, is not prepared for the wave of tourists
it wants to attract.

This is only one in a series of incidents since the beginning of
this year of troops harassing tourists in northern Burma.
According to a joke doing the rounds of foreign residents here,
Burma's ideal tourist is one who flies into Rangoon, takes a
suite at Strand Hotel, spends US$500 and flies out again the
next day. "As long as people stay on the tourist circuit, they
will come away happy. Those who get off the beaten track to
try to get to know the 'real Burma' will find their experience is
less happy," a tourism professional commented.

Kyaw Ba confirmed that the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC) has no plans to open up the country in every
aspect for independent travel. Two rules that stay in force are
visa requirements to safeguard security, and the compulsory
purchase of a "foreign exchange certificate" for US$300 by
tourists not buying package tours. This guarantees hefty
foreign exchange earnings for the SLORC.

"In the past, some tourists could cover their weeklong expenses
of travelling in the country by selling two bottles of whiskey
and two cartons of cigarettes on the black market. That's why
we introduced the compulsory exchange rule, which we are
going to maintain," Kyaw Ba said.

MALAYSIAN NGOS CALL FOR BURMA BOYCOTT

(TN: 13.2.96) - A GROUP of 17 Malaysian NGOs
condemned the Burmese military regime for its ongoing
human rights abuses and called on fellow Malaysians and
ASEAN citizens to boycott the Visit Myanmar (Burma) Year.

During a rally staged on 12 February in front of the Burmese
Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the group, which represents a
range of human rights, youth, environment, religious, student
and development interests, lashed out against the Burmese
junta for its refusal to hand over power to a democratically
elected civilian government. In an open letter to junta leader
Than Shwe, the activists described the release of pro -
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi last July as a "tactical
move to placate growing international and domestic opposition
to your brutal and corrupt regime, in a last desperate attempt to
perpetuate illegal and illegitimate and unrepresentative power
in Burma."

The NGOs urged Malaysians "to totally boycott the Visit
Myanmar Year in 1996 launched by the military dictatorship.
We shall also call on people in other parts of the world to join
the boycott."

BLOODY ROAD TO MANDALAY

(BP: 13.2.96; II)   - THE controversial 'Road to Mandalay'
luxury cruise service, carrying tourists on the Irrawaddy River
between Mandalay and Pagan on a 120-berth ship began to
operate on 1 February. The London - based Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ltd., a subsidiary of the Sea Containers Group,
runs the service using a ship bought from Germany and
refurbished tor US $6 million.

Venice Simplon Orient Express Ltd. is one of the foreign tour
companies which has been strongly criticized by Burma
support groups tor expanding their business activities into
Burma. The 'Road to Mandalay' promotion is especially
blatant as it tries to lure super - rich tourists with romantic
colonial images, with no regard for the present plight of
Burmese peoples, suffering from an illegitimate and brutal
military regime. In a letter to travellers, the UK company's
sales and marketing director David Hester says. for example:
"For nearly 60 years, Burma was the  jewel in the Crown' of
the British Empire in Asia.... Now you can personally
rediscover this beautiful country from the decks of our new,
superbly equipped luxury river cruiser the Road to Mandalay...
(It) is an unforgettable way to experience this romantic land of
mist covered lakes and spectacular rain-forest shrouded
mountains ... Hurry, while this jewel of the Orient remains
yours to discover!"  
Protest letters should be directed to: Venice Simplon Orient -
Express Ltd., Sea Containers House, 20 Upper Ground,
London SE1 9PF, UK 


SWISS ACTIONS ON BURMA TOURISM GAINING
MOMENTUM

THE Working Group Tourism & Development in cooperation
with other Swiss non governmental organizations has
published an information kit on Burma in preparation of Visit
Myanmar Year. The documentation includes articles on
general political and economic developments in Burma,
SLORC's tourism policy, human rights violations, and the
particularly miserable situation of ethnic groups and women,
for example.

The coalition of Swiss NGOs held media conferences in
Zurich on 23 January and in Geneva on 30 January to raise
awareness on the realities in Burma and to introduce their
activities to the public. The NGOs welcomed the statement of
the Swiss Federation of Travel Agencies of October 1995
which recommended that its members should refrain from
expanding travel to Burma and ignore Visit Myanmar Year.
But they pointed out that the debate on Burma issues should be
continued and more efforts be made to keep the public and
potential travellers informed. Both media events were widely
covered in German  and French language newspapers and
radio programmes in Switzerland.

For more information, contact: Working Group Tourism &
Development (AKTE), Missionstr 21, 4003 Basel,
Switzerland, Tel.: 44 - 61 - 261 4742,   
Fax 44 - 61 - 261- 4721.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI REPEATS CRITICISM OF
SLORC'S TOURISM CAMPAIGN

(BP: 1.2. 96; 27.2.96; TN: 23.1.96) - BURMESE opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi again attacked the ruling junta's
focus on tourism, urging more investment in schools and
hospitals instead of hotels.

"lt is true that many hotels have come in. But what progress
has there been in the field of health and education?"
Singapore's Business Times quoted the 1991 Nobel Peace
Prize winner and leader of the National League for Democracy
(NLD) as saying in a recent interview. Suu Kyi said health and
education "are the two best indicators of the living standards of
our people", and a study of the two sectors would show
"whether or not there has been any real development."

She also questioned the morality of promoting tourism in her
impoverished country, saying the "great mushrooming of
hotels" had "not done any service because it has affected the
morals of the people for the sake of entertaining and making
money." She added her country fellows felt that "a lot of our
young people, especially young girls, are going astray."

SLORC has enjoyed a measure of success in drawing foreign
investment despite its image of brutality. Suu Kyi repeated her
call for foreign enterprises to go slow on putting their money
into Burma. While questioning tourism employment figures
released by SLORC and complaining about inflation, she
conceded that a handful of people had done well for the past
five or six years.

"But you should try to look at the hospitals where people go in
Burma. Then you will find out how much development there
has been and whether, if you were a citizen of Burma, you
would think that is something you would be satisfied with."

Beginning of February, Hotels and Tourism Minister Lt - Gen
Kyaw Ba had said economic factors had to take priority over
talks with NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi.  "This is not the
time for dialogue but the time to work," he said. "We must
first see to it that the people get rich."
According to Kyaw Ba, Suu Kyi would also be denied a role in
economic development because she has "no experience in the
country" and "lacks historical background of the independence
struggle".


TIME TO TAKE STOCK OF WHAT REMAINS OF OUR
PAST

Edited from an article by Yada Saphasri on occasion of the
Asia - Europe  Meeting (ASEM)
The Nation 2. 3. 1996

ASIA'S grandest historical remains - from Angkor Wat in
Cambodia. Pagan in Burma, and Sukhothai and Ayutthaya in
Thailand - serve as crucial reminders of who we are and where
we come from. About one fifth of the UNESCO - designated
World Cultural and Historical Sites are in Asia.

As the world shrinks, its people learn about each other more
and more through tourism, a mega - business which has
become something both to celebrate and to fear. At its best,
tourism helps spread knowledge and understanding. At its
worst, it can help destroy communities, the environment and
sites of historical significance.

Tourism between Asia and Europe, already extensive, is
expected to grow rapidly in the decades to come. And while
some of the tourism to this part of the world is bad exploitative
sex tourism, for instance, many visitors from Europe come to
experience Asia's natural beauty and cultural riches. These
travellers may be interested to learn about the efforts being
made to preserve these sites, but they should also know that the
future of many of these places is by no means assured.

Strict controls on irresponsible business ventures which
capitalize on World Heritage Sites and other historic remains
are still not in place. European business interests, often
working in tandem with Asian partners, are not guiltless in this
regard. Conservationists have watched with dismay as
European hotel chains violate environmental principles. French
companies in particular have earned a dubious reputation for
paying mere lip - service to the principles of conservation.

European investors in the region contribute to local conflicts,
cultural decay and environmental damage. They would be best
advised to do their own research on their host country instead
of just relying on local partners who may not always have the
best record in this regard. To take just one example - hotels
and even a golf course are now being planned for the area next
to Angkor Wat which will significantly degrade the integrity of
the ancient temple. Plans for son et lumiere (sound and light)
shows may also harm this vulnerable site. Pollution, harmful
business projects, excessive numbers of tourists, littering, theft,
fire, increased traffic, use of chemicals, etc., can rapidly
degrade an area that has managed to survive thus far into our
modern age.

Protective measures must be worked out at both national and
international levels. Also, the millions of European and other
visitors, who come to Asia each year to enjoy the region's
natural beauty and rich heritage, should respect local cultures
and traditions and do nothing to damage the places they visit.


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